Relevance of Rights for All

February 12, 2015

Ayanna Cooper incorporates social justice into the Common Core for English learners

To date, 43 states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2015). Educators at all levels are working to ensure full and thorough implementation of these standards, which offer the opportunity to self-assess and revise initial instructional goals with a focus on improving outcomes for all students but especially those identified as English learners (ELs). The adoption of CCSS has undoubtedly fuelled the conversation as to how to address culturally and linguistically diverse learners in light of the rigorous standards. As a language educator, I am excited that the CCSS bring forth the need for all domains of language — speaking, writing, reading, and listening — to be emphasized and a permanent part of instructional practice; hence, all teachers are language teachers.

2 COMMENTS

For English learns, both for US children kids and EL’s young and old there is truespel phonetics, a phonics based phonetic system that makes learning US English easy. Common core specifies phonetics for reading, yet does not specify how to do it. Truespel is the answer. See http://justpaste.it/truespelnow . Phonetics isn’t difficult anymore.

All the world’s many languages are worthy of being used. I hope that Esperanto was not forgotten on International Mother Language Day. Esperanto is a planned language which belongs to no one country or group of states. Using it brings speakers of different mother tongues together without having to resort to English or a strong regional language.